Effective and comprehensive school-based prevention programs help students develop social skills, decision-making skills, and coping skills, all of which are important tools for kids in avoiding ATOD use. Since kids are often at risk years before they actually use, prevention programs should begin as early as elementary school, with frequent reinforcement throughout middle and high school.
Compass Mark offers the following evidence-based programs to schools. To see what’s available in your county, email our Coordinators in Lancaster, Lebanon, or Chester County.
Read our handy guide for choosing school-based programming.
CATCH My Breath
CATCH My Breath is an evidence-based program that provides youth with the skills to resist peer pressure and media influences to try e-cigarettes and vaping.
Leaders of Future Generations
LFG is held after school for youth who exhibit leadership potential. Students develop individual leadership skills and strengthening personal resiliency.
Leadership Institute Training
A 4- to 6-hour retreat that helps students explore different aspects of leadership and develop their potential to become leaders in their schools and communities.
Lions Quest®
Lions Quest® is a life skills education program designed to help young people develop positive commitments to their families, schools, peers, and communities and to encourage healthy, drug-free lives.
PATHS®
Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) increases emotional and social competencies and reduces aggression and behavior problems in elementary-aged children.
Positive Action
The Positive Action program promotes social-emotional and character skills, resulting in healthy childhood development and increased commitment to school.
Project Towards No Drug Abuse
Project TND focuses on three factors that predict tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use, violence-related behaviors, and other problem behaviors among youth, including motivation, skills and decision making.
Support for Students Exposed to Trauma
SSET’s structured approach aims to reduce distress resulting from exposure to trauma. The program includes a wide variety of skill-building techniques geared toward changing unhelpful thoughts and promoting positive behaviors.
Student Assistance Program (SAP)
Compass Mark offers training for the Student Assistance Program (SAP), Commonwealth-mandated for the delivery of K-12 prevention, intervention and support services, primarily in the areas of substance abuse and mental health. SAP attempts to intervene at the earliest stages of a problem, thereby reducing student risk factors, promoting protective factors and increasing asset development.
The SAP Process
Steps in the SAP Process include:
Referral – Anyone can refer a student to SAP when they are concerned about his or her behavior. Also, the student can go directly to the SAP team and ask for help. The team, which consists of trained school administrators, guidance counselors, teachers and other staff members, contacts the parents/caregivers for permission to proceed with the SAP process.
Team Planning Meeting – The SAP team gathers objective information about the student’s performance in school from all school personnel who have contact with the student. Information is also collected from the parents or caregivers. The team meets with the parents to discuss the data collected and also meets with the student. Together, a plan is developed to include in-school and/or community-based services and activities.
Intervention and Recommendations – The plan is put into action. The team assists in linking the student to in-school and/or community-based services and activities. The team might recommend a drug and alcohol or mental health evaluation.
Support and Follow-Up – The SAP team continues to work with and support the student and family. Follow-up includes monitoring, mentoring, and motivating for academic success.
*Source: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program